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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. board — a committee
  3. last — final
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. board — to get on
  8. season — of the year
  9. press — newspapers
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. season — in sport
  12. object — to protest
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. last — finally
  15. bark — to shout
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. object — a thing
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. last — to go on
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. press — to push
  23. object — an aim
  24. press — a publisher

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com